Jan 18, 2018

How to Beat the Bloat

Jan 18, 2018

How to Beat the Bloat

If you follow me on social media, you will be aware of how I frequently blog about suffering from bloating and abdominal discomfort. The condition can be summarised as a buildup of gas in the abdominal region, which often leads to intense discomfort, water retention, and an extended gut.

Bloating can be very frustrating and can often occur at awkward times – such as before a social function or event when you want to be looking lean and trim.

“Bloating is thought to affect as many as one-in-three women” explains dietitian and gut health specialist Dr. Megan Rossi, “no-one should accept ongoing gut symptoms. If your tummy bloating is affecting your quality of life, your first port of call should always be to see your GP, as digestive symptoms can occur with many conditions”.

However, before attending the GP here are a few ways that I have found to reduce stomach bloating and potentially prevent it from happening in the first place!

Adjust your diet

As our individual bodies are all different, our responses to different types of foods will also vary on an individual basis. However, foods such as gluten, dairy, fructose, excessive fibre, sugar alcohol, and artificial sweeteners are the prime culprits for bloating in most people.

In fact, adverse reactions to these types of foods have resulted in experts giving them their own specific label – “FODMAPS” (or Fermented Oligio- Di, Mono-Saccharides and Polyols). This label highlights to the public the most common foods that cause bloating or intolerance (1).

From a personal standpoint I get bloating and abdominal discomfort from foods like sugar-free chewing gum, diet coke, and protein bars. These foods are some of the many that contain artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols. The number one symptom of a digestion issue with FODMAPS is distension of the gut. This means that the intestine literally becomes stretched due to a number of different causes such as a buildup of solids, liquids or gas. This can often lead to discomfort and pain with a visually embarrassing bloated appearance.

Typically, this distension is a product of the small carbohydrates making their way into the lower portion of the intestine, where bacteria quickly ferment them, causing a buildup of gas.

If you constantly find yourself feeling bloated, needing to use the bathroom more often than you’d like, or have very loose stool, you may need to consider eliminating FODMAPS to see if this helps.

I find when I get clients to keep a diary of the foods they are eating we can refer to the foods eaten the day before, or that day to get a better idea of what might be causing the discomfort. A lot of the foods on my 6 weeks better body program are naturally gluten-free and this lends itself to less bloating and discomfort.

Avoid eating large meals

The food baby belly is caused by the reduced rate of digestion and gastric emptying, leaving large amounts of food in the stomach for hours. The other issues involved is that the food tends to be of low quality and processed (and therefore full of intolerable FODMAP ingredients).

If you consume a very large meal in one sitting, small amounts of stomach acid may not be able to keep up with the food consumption, which may cause digestive issues, bloat and stomach cramps. Furthermore, you could consume digestive enzymes to help aid digestion.

Exercise can alleviate bloating

During a period of digestive discomfort, the last thing I want to do is exercise! However, research has revealed that the benefit of exercise on the feeling of being bloated, is related to the duration and intensity of the exercise (2). Performing high-intensity exercise could certainly make the issue arise however a gentle walk may help relieve symptoms.

Probiotics

Research continually shows that having healthy gut bacteria can play a role in how we digest food and absorb nutrients, in how we store fat and even how our brains function (3). Interestingly, having a healthy gut microbiome can help prevent the feeling of being bloated (4).

While there are many different strains of probiotics, it seems that using probiotics rich in Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactic are two of the best strains. A recent study revealed that the use of a probiotic supplement containing these two strains reduced the symptoms of bloating (5).

Lots of my clients have given testimony to a reduction in bloating and pain by following my programs, in particular, my 6-week program which eliminates some of the main offending foods such as sugar, alcohol, gluten, and wheat and focuses on proteins fats and healthy carbs.

Sign up today with my support and motivation from my team of nutritionists and I promise you’ll notice the difference within a few days.

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Who is
Tara Grimes

Tara is one of Ireland’s top Fitness & Weight Loss Experts.

Tara is a Certified Nutritionist and Accredited Personal Trainer who has helped transform thousands of clients in Ireland and the UK and her online business is now helping many more clients across the world. She runs several online businesses from her base in N.Ireland and distributes 100,000s of her popular weight loss meals to customers across the country.

A mum of 4, who is passionate about Women’s Health and Fitness, she knows exactly how to help women of every age get Leaner, Fitter and Stronger. Tara’s companies employ top-level performance coaches and she has a team of registered nutritionists providing support for online clients across the globe. Tara has been recruited by Bluechip companies to provide in-house employee Health & Wellness packages, consulted with Government Departments on Nutrition & Weight Management and worked with professional sports teams & elite athletes improve their Performance Nutrition.

Tara has extensive qualifications including, BA(Hons) Degree from University Of Ulster and MSc from Queens University, Belfast. She is also a Certified MNU Nutritionist helping Clinical Populations improve their overall health. She features in top publications and is a guest writer for many health publications.

Transforming Women’s bodies and health is Tara’s specialist area. She has created an amazing community of followers and clients across the world and her Fat Loss and Fitness Programs specialise in Female Fat Loss & Health, Over 40’s Fat loss and how to manage & Optimise changing hormones. Fitness programs for all levels and all incomes. She has programs to suit everyone, no matter what their starting level is at.

Her business is based entirely on the success of her clients.

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